Charges progress against senior Thai official accused of stealing paintings
A JAPANESE public prosecutor has pressed charges against a high-ranking Thai official from the Intellectual Property Department who was arrested for allegedly stealing three paintings worth 15,000 yen (Bt4,684) from a Kyoto hotel.
The case has been submitted for the court's consideration, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Information Department director-general Sek Wannamethee said yesterday.
Although the official had not been officially identified, the only deputy director attending the January 20 to 25 meeting on intellectual property was Suphat Saquandeekul. He was also scheduled to deliver a lecture on the subject at a local university.
Representatives of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Osaka were due to meet the official today, Sek said.
Deputy Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong said the ministry would wait for the completion of the Japanese legal process before deciding what action to take.
“The story has gone so big. We should not jump to conclusions yet and should listen to this accused official first. After that, the ministry will act based on fair justice,” Sontirat said.